iStart focuses on fostering innovation and unlocking entrepreneurial potential

Rajasthan won top honours in the States' Startup Ranking 2022 by the Department for Promotion and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, scoring on the back of innovation and entrepreneurship. With a 35% year-on-year increase in the number of startups in the last fiscal year, the state is leading the charge in cultivating a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At a fireside chat at TechSparks 2024 Mumbai edition, Amit Purohit, iStart Program Manager, spoke about the role the ecosystem plays in business growth, revealing why Rajasthan has been recognised as a capacity-building pioneer and leader.

The Rajasthan government’s flagship initiative aims to foster innovation, create jobs and facilitate investment. iStart serves as a cornerstone in the state's strategy to nurture a thriving startup ecosystem.

Purohit, who transitioned from a corporate job role to government service after 15 years, reflected on how the shift allowed him to broaden his horizons and engage in programmes with the potential for substantial impact.

“I want to get every businessman the best deal, with access to cheaper land, skilled manpower, and benefits within the programme to support investments,” he said.

iStart is among the largest startup programmes in India, available in every district of Rajasthan and open to startups from all states. It has 4,200+ registered startups, 1,300+ women-led startups, 300+ registered mentors, and has Rs 24 crore+ investment sanctioned to support startups. It offers benefits such as mentorship and funding, and has conducted 100+ events to support student entrepreneurs.

Purohit asserted that Rajasthan is the first state to amend the Procurement Act, allowing them to give work orders up to one crore to startups solely by nomination, without requiring them to submit an 'expression of interest' or 'request for proposal' (RFP).

iStart is a part of a wider youth ecosystem that includes fintech universities and finishing schools of its own. With the latest budget release, they have also entered the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) industry, establishing facilities statewide exclusively for this purpose.

The discussion also delved into the role iStart plays in nurturing startups through different stages of growth. Purohit emphasised the programme's commitment to supporting startups, from early stages to facilitating their integration into the government ecosystem.

“Rajasthan is a very arid state. It is also among the largest state, with long distances between villages, sometimes more than 10 to 15 km. To cater to this clientele, we are in the process of establishing our own physical spaces or launchpads in every district, supported by divisional facilities. Last year, we had over 50,000 startups and entrepreneurs participating throughout the year,” he said.

Taking things forward when it comes to digital literacy and encouraging women entrepreneurs, iStart has established women-centric incubators. It offers women entrepreneurs a platform to sell their products and services to the government. 

Purohit stressed the importance of providing exposure and support to startups in Tier II and Tier III cities. Initiatives like iStart are being implemented to empower entrepreneurs in these areas.

Looking ahead, he expressed optimism about Jaipur's potential to emerge as a formidable startup hub, rivalling established centres like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. He outlined ambitious plans to promote sectors like animation, video graphics, and comics, leveraging Rajasthan's strengths to attract investment and talent.

“In states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the government is putting a lot of push this because the private sector has not reached that level of maturity,” he said.

When asked if iStart is bullish on any specific sector, Purohit said the programme has been “sector-agnostic”, but had done two things. “One, we focused on the sunrise sectors, circular economy, and sustainable sectors. Second, we believe in the prime minister's vision that if you want to hit that $5 trillion economy, the sectors that will be very important are the animation video graphic and comic sectors. In Rajasthan, we are focusing on the AVGC, space coding and robotics, and the processes to boost the content creators’ industry.”

On transitioning from corporate life to working for the government, Purohit acknowledged the challenges but emphasised the satisfaction of contributing to “initiatives with far-reaching impacts”.

In the backdrop of TechSparks Mumbai, a diverse cohort of startup founders from the iStart Rajasthan program also engaged in meaningful conversations and networking. Notable figures among them included Akhil Kumar Gupta from Sunrise Techno Solutions and Deepesh Rajpal from Med365. The event also featured Suyog Bora, a driving force behind Brenin Technologies Pvt Ltd, as well as Govind Narayan Shukla who represented Intelvision Corporation (DIGIBYTE). Ankit Tiwari, hailing from mPass Lobby Management, was among the participants, alongside Vishal Sharma from AdvaRisk and Chetan Saini of Fixpapa Technologies.

The roster also included Naman Jain from Listerr, Akash Bansal from Fraxus Solutions, Jitender Singh from Clickzy Creative Technologies, Gourav Sharma from DG Newswala Media, Rajesh Narula from IntelliData Tech Solutions, Rishabh Sharma from Mtat India, and Suresh Hargun from Ecom Books.